Singeing apparatus



oct. 11 1927.

E. J. ZIOCK SINGEING APPARATUS Original Filed May '7, 1924 Patented Oct. 11, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. ZIOCK, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

SINGEING APPARATUS.

Original application filed May 7, 1924, Serial No. 711,565. Divided and this application filed September 20, 1924. Serial No. 738,754.

This invention relates to the finishing of knitted articles after they have been manufactured7 that is, knitted and otherwisecompleted in s-o far as their fabric structure is concerned. By finishing I refer to operations and processes which follow the manufacturing operations and are performed in bleaching', mercerizing and dyeing, and may consist in wetting, developing, singeing, dyeing, drying and the like. By knitted articles I mean fabric articles, either knitted or woven, and especially hosiery. While the present invention is applicable-to the finishing of various knitted articles by operations such as referred to, it is intended primarily for finishing stockings, especially those of high grade and texture which requireva fine rdegree of finish. Y

The present application is a division of my application Serial No. 711,565, filed May 7, 1924, now Patent No. 1,623,080, and has more particular reference to singeing and to the provision of apparatus adapted notv only for performing the operation of singe-v ing but other finishing operations as well.

Such other operations could be performed by the substitution of appropriate devices for the singeing elements used in the present apparatus as will be readily understood from a consideration of this and my parent application.

The primary purpose of the present inven- V tion is, therefore, to provide an improved method of and apparatus for singeing knitted articles and performing other finishing operations of a related character. The object is to perform these operations expeditiously and uniformly so as to promote economy in the cost of production and enable a uniform degree of finish in the result-ant production.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in this art as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a diagrammatic view showing` one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2, is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3, is a section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

My improved singeing or finishing device is preferably, but not necessarily, used in connection with an endless carrier to which stocking or article-holding forms are attached at spaced intervals and Which is adapted to be moved either continuously or intermittently for advancing the forms from station to station at` which different finishing operations are performed or the stockings or other 'articles are placed upon and removed from the forms.

In the presentcase I have shown for purpose of illustration merely, an endless carrier designated generally by 5, comprising a. pair of roller chains 6, trained over sprocket wheels 7 and 8, one of which may be a driver, and crossbars 9 connecting'the roller links 11 of the chains at equally spaced intervals. The roller chains are supp-orted and travel on suitable tracks 10. In this instance the carrier travels in a clockwise direction viewing Fig. l, continuously and at a constant speed. i

Tothese crossbars are attached the article-holding forms designated generally by 12, which may be of any suitable or preferred construction; Each form in the preferred embodiment of my invention is comparatively fiat andl shaped to conform to the contour of the stocking or other article so that when the latter is drawn on to the form the fabric will be held fiat, preferably in a slightly stretched condition, so that it will be uniformly presented to the singeing or other finishing devices. Each form is preferably equipped with suitable means such as clamping members 13 described in my companion application Serial No. 738,- 756, filed September 20, 1924, for holding the stocking to a predetermined length on the form.

The singeing device comprises a pair of singeing elements, inthe present instance a pair of vertical gas burners 11i or the equivalent and means for moving them back and forth in a quick singeing stroke in which the gas flames rapidly traverse both sides of a stocking during its travel and in a return stroke into operative relation to the next succeeding stocking for repeating the operation. The burners 14 are mounted on a carriage 15 which is supportedv by rollers 16 to travel back and forth on the upright fianges of the carrier tracks 10, a suitable guide 17 being in this case employed for preventing lateral .displacement of the lower end of the burners. 'A gas supply hose 18 is attached to said loii'er end, asshoivn in' Fig. L. y The carriage has a pair oi? paivls l9`adapted` to engage any connector bai' 9 for movement thereiifith and to be released therefrom at a" predetern'iined point by striking a stationary abntnient 2l. The burners norma ly occupy a position interniediate two adjoining stool-:- ing 'forms as shown in Fig. 3 with thepa'wls engaging; a crossbar 9 on the car 1ier, so' hat the burner carriaee travels with the carrier to the lett. During travel ofA the lenirnercarriage the distance between centers othsaidct'ivoadjoining forms, a spring` tension ivill'bestored up in=a coiled contractile l spring 22 attached at to a central part on the carriage and at 24tio a iizied or statioi'iaify part, ivith the result that iif'hen the pai'vls'l) are re .ased by Contact against the :ibntinent 2l at the end ot said travel the spi-'ing' will return-the carriage in a rapid movement to ,a starting. position at which the paivls ivill be engaged by the neXtssiicceI ding connectorJ bar` 95a During` this rapid e oke (tothe right) the burners traverse the stocking inl a moven'ientopposite to. the travel-rV ot the interposed stocking" and singe any protruding fibres on the surface thereot. Therapid singeing stroke may be cushioned by any suitable means such :is an air cylinder 25 which in the present wcase serves as' a housing for the spring 22, ,'Vihis operation is repeatech autoinatically7 byV reason' of the tact that the, singeing carriage is moved on its torivard sti-'oke by the continuously movingl forni carrier anc is returned on its working sti-oke by the spring' pressure stored up during the 'forward stroke.

It willA be observed 'that the burners 40 of the stocking'.V tornifso that the forms may.

bev arrangedcomparativeiy Without interference with the burner and so that the la'ine's. willl strike the 'trent edge of a siocl'ing substantially 'from lend to end thereof at the saine instant. not essentiah it ii neif'ertheless7- a` lt-ict-oi` in promoting iiniter ityin the singeino: operation. `When gas burners are used tor singe;- ing, 'the-jets should deliver a iinitoini length flameV from end to end et each burner. n It? should be understood that the singeing deviceY herein disclosed is for purpose et illustration ineiiely, and that any suitable or ..prei"erred'V torni of singeing;A element or other device for performing a tinishing operation inay be substituted for the burners 14. .In other Words, any oi thediii'ierent processingV or finishing operations described in inv A parent application, might be performed "by a device oi vthe `chaine-tei' disclosed and claimed herein. It will be 'manifest therefore-l.; that iny invention shoiiid not be conined to-,the particular construction heiein" disclosed, nor to the singeingu et a single' stocking` at each Working stroke, but is lll-- are shaped tol contorni te the major aztisy close togetherv Vithile this aiidMsingeing devicee7 lL mean any tinishingv operation and any device which may peiforni such operation siibstautialiy in the mannendisclosed herein and Within the purvieiv o'ifthe present invention.

I claim as inyinventjion:

' l. in a J Jaratiis for irinishino' stockinis in combination, a traveling carrier, stocking forms spaced: thereon, anda singeing' device having a sin'geingel'einent at eachsideiofv the stocking passage and' mounted to traveil iii onefdir'ection in a singeing Stroke across the forms and in t'lie'opposite ldirection in an idle stroke ivith the foi-ins but disposed oiit ot" singeing relation thereto:A

, 2Q In apparatus for finishing stockingsyin conibiiiatioin' al traveling` carrier, stocking' forms spaced'tliereon', and a.l singeing device having singe'ing-elenient each side of the stoelen?? passage and mounted to'travel With the carrier between adjoining stocking` forms for a given distancel and in a rapid singeinggj stroke past a follow-ingstockiiigforin.

8. pparatusi'or finishing knitted articles coinprising"l1 in combination, a carriermeans for' actuating the saine, a plurality of stocking; torins'connected at spaced intervals'to the cartier to move'therewith',v a sing'eing device having' spaced singeing ei'eineiits. betii'ecn which the stocking' forms are adapt'- ed to iriss7` and means 'for causing the singeelements to nieve o'iposite in diiectihn to the direction oi' travel ofthe carrier While the stockintgs I the stockings in the siiigeing'stroke'.`

il. Apparatiis foinishing. knitted articles comprisiliiig, in co1nbination,v acarrier, a pluralityolf stocking", toi-ins connected at spaced adapted to pass; spring-operatedl ine-ans for' nioif'ing the singeing device in one direction in a qiiiclcsingcingstroke in which thesingeaieJin motion for trav'ersingv uit 11'() intervals to the carrier. to move tliereivitlnaing eienients rapidly tifaverse sides of.

a stocking and come into operativerelatio i to a Vneat succeeding sto'clziiig'y for iepeiatingirv the s operation, and ,means for suc.-

cessii'el', moving said singeingl device ivith dV caifier` in a direction opposite tothe' singeing' st oke whereby the spring isil-aded. a it ioi th e s iiigeingr stroke. Y K

5. Apparatus of the character describedcoinprisingl'-, `incombinationau a track,A a cariier mounted to travel thereon in a certain piane, a pliirL yirot'vstocking forinsfattached tof said carrier at spaced intervals?al singe.-

ing device having` singeing elements in spaced lrelation between'which the stockingforms are adapted to pass, said singeing device being movable back and forth in a plane parallel to the plane ot travel of the kstocking Jforms, and means for effecting said back and forth movement of the singeing device during travel of the torm carrier, comprising a pawl for moving said device with the carrier in the idle strokeand spring means for returning said device on the singeing stroke.

6. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a track, a carrier mounted to travel thereon in a certain plane, a plurality of stocking forms attached to said carrier at spaced intervals, a singeing device having singeing elements in spaced relation between which the stocking forms are adapted to pass, said device being movable back and forth in a plane parallel to the plane of travel of the stocking forms, and means whereby in its back and forth motion the singeing device will be moved byv and with the carrier a predetermined distance in one direction and independent o'f said carrier a predetermined distance in the opposite direction whereby to traverse a stocking form in a singeing stroke.

7. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a track, a carrier mounted to travel on said track in a certain plane, a plurality ot stocking forms attached in spaced intervals to said carrier, spaced singeing elements between which said stocking t'orms are adapted to be moved, said elements being shaped to conform generally to the major aXis of the stockings and the forms therefor for the purpose mentioned, and a carriage for moving said singeing elements mounted to move back and 'forth in a plane parallel to the plane of travel of the form carrier.

8. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, a track, a carrier mounted to travelon said track in a certain plane, a plurality ot stocking forms attached in spaced intervals to said carrier, spaced singeing elements between which said stocking forms are adapted to be moved, and a carriage for moving said singeing elements mounted to move back and fort-h in a plane parallel to the plane of travel of the form carrier, the back and forth motion being irnparted by mechanism for advancing said carriage with the form carrier, with the singeing elements located bet-Ween two adjoining Jforms, and for causing the carriage to move in the opposite direction in a comparatively rapid singeing stroke, said mechanism being actuated in part by movement of the form carrier.

9. The method of singeing stockings, consisting in boarding each stocking on a comparatively tlat form, moving the boarded stockings in one direction in the plane ot said t'orms, and singeing each stocking by rapidly traversing spaced singeing 'elements past an interposed form, the .said elements being moved with and in advance ot' a torni bearing an unsinged stocking to a singeing station trom which said elements are moved in the opposite direction ior singeing said stocking.

l0. The method ot singeing stockings consisting in boarding each stocking, positioning the `forms in a common plane and moving them in one direction therein, andlsingeing the stockings by passing singeing ele-v ments past the forms inthe opposite direction.` x t ll. The method ot finishing stockings consisting in boarding the stockings on flat boarding elements, moving the boarded stockings on a: continuously traveling endless carrier with the lat plane of each stocking form parallel with the direction ot travel, and singeing the boarded stockings in succession by moving spaced singeing elements in an idle stroke with the stockings but out ot' singeing relation thereto and returning the elements in a working stroke so that the stockings pass between said elements and are thereby singed.

l2. rllhe method of singeing stockings which consists in moving the surface of the stockings to be singed in one direction and simultaneously moving the singeing member to apply singeing heat progressively in the opposite direction.

13. In an apparatus for finishing stockings, the combination with a traveling carrier and stocking forms mounted thereon in spaced relation, ot' a singeing device arranged adjacent said forms to be given a singeing stroke past the same, spring means normally urging said device in one direction for the singeing stroke, means for moving said device against the action oli said spring means in the opposite direction on the idle strokes, and means tor damping the springpropelled strokes of said device tor the singeing operations.

14. In an apparatus for finishing stockings, the combination with a traveling carrier and lstocking forms mounted thereon in spaced relation, of a singeing device arranged adjacent said orms to be givenl a singeing stroke past the same, spring means normally urging said device in one direction for the singe-ing strokes, means for moving said device against the action of said spring means in the opposite direction on the idle strokes, and means tor damping the spring-propelled strokes of said device tor the singeing operations, said damping means comprising telescoping tubular members enclosing said spring means and providing a Vdash-pot cushioning action.

l5. Apparatus of the character described comprising, in combinatioma carrier, means or actuating the same, a`r plurality of stocking forms' carriedby the carrier and moving therewith, a singeing device movable back andi forth in plane parallel'to the'patli of movement of the forms, and means for producing the back and forth movements comprisingA connections for moving the device through an idle stroke'fwitli'the` carrier, and

a spring for moving the device inthe opposite direction past the forms in its singeing stroke.

16. Apparatus of the character described comprising, inl combinationfa track, a carrier mountedv to travel thereon', means for actuating the carrier, a plurality of stockingl forms attached to the carrier at spaced automatic devices for connecting the singe- Y ing device to the carrier, to cause the carrier tomove the singeing device in thedirection= of movement of the forms andA to-store energy in the spring, the automatic devices then disconnecting the singeing device from the carrier to permit the spring'lto act.-

nDWnR-D. J. Zioci. 

